Traders at the Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State took to the streets on Tuesday to protest the one-week shutdown of the market ordered by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
The protesting traders marched along major roads in Onitsha, chanting slogans such as “Say no to Monday” and displaying placards bearing messages including “Show us the law, Soludo.” The demonstration followed the governor’s surprise visit to the market after traders failed to comply with the state government’s directive to fully resume commercial activities on Mondays.
On Monday, Governor Soludo ordered the immediate closure of the market, accusing traders of deliberately disregarding government instructions and frustrating efforts to restore normal economic activities across the state.
During his visit, the governor maintained that the sit-at-home practice has no legal foundation and continues to harm businesses and livelihoods in Anambra. He stated that there is no law mandating the closure of markets on Mondays and warned that residents should not continue to inflict economic hardship on themselves.
Soludo further stressed that his administration would no longer tolerate what he described as “economic sabotage” carried out under the pretext of observing sit-at-home orders. The shutdown of the Onitsha Main Market, he said, forms part of wider measures aimed at ending the Monday sit-at-home across Anambra State.
Earlier, the state government had also issued a warning to civil servants against staying away from work on Mondays, noting that workers who fail to report for duty would face salary deductions. The state’s Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, reiterated that the sit-at-home order is not recognised by law and that absenteeism would attract disciplinary action.
According to him, any civil servant who absents themselves from duty on Mondays would be sanctioned, including deductions from their salaries.
Despite the government’s firm position, traders insisted during the protest that the market closure was unjust and appealed to the governor to reopen the facility. Security operatives were deployed to oversee the protest, which remained peaceful at the time of reporting.
The Monday sit-at-home in Nigeria’s South-East began in 2021, following its introduction by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in protest against the arrest and detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu. The directive initially aligned with Kanu’s court appearances.
On November 20, 2025, a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment.
